If you’re new to the fighting game genre, some of the more tenured franchises like Street Fighter and Tekken might seem a bit too complicated for newcomers.
Fortunately, there’s a bite-sized fighting game experience with Fantasy Strike, a free-to-play fighting game, created by an ex-Street Fighter developer, that trims the 2D technicalities for some flashy fighting action.
From the get-go, you are immediately greeted with a thorough tutorial from Master Midori, teaching you how to attack, defend, and utilize your special abilities.
Unlike the eight-way arrow format for movement, Fantasy Strike keeps it simple by sticking to backward, neutral, and forward motions and removing dashes and crouches from the mix.
For combat, you have one basic attack and two special attacks with alternate moves when jumping. On top of your usual button mashes, you also have a throw that can be countered by standing still and a meter that provides you with a super move when full.
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As for its character pool, you and your friends can fight over ten unlocked, original characters with specific titles such as zoners, rush-down, grapplers, and wild cards.
Though it may seem like a small roster compared to other games, all ten characters are unique with their own move-sets and special abilities. For example, Quince can create illusions of himself that turn real in his super move while Degrey has a ghost that can hold down opponents for a quick combo.
As simple as the game is, Fantasy Strike has the capacity to be a very competitive fighting game. The practice mode has more intricate information such as move history and frame data while the Watch mode allows players to get expert advice from the game developers about each character.
If you don’t mind spending the extra buck for add-ons, you can also unlock various cosmetics such as animations and costumes and Fantasy+, an optional subscription for features like master costumes and a database of your and other ranked players’ detailed replays.
Fantasy Strike is out now for free with crossplay on PC, PS4, and Nintendo Switch.
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